Final Fantasy: Lost Dreams
by Spacemonkey Rastaban
Summary: FFX/FFVII/FVIII/FFX2. Cloud is searching for the one person he loves. On the way he meets Auron, who shows him the answer to his search: The Cave of Lost Dreams. Includes many others: such as Squall, Zell, Rikku, Yuna, Tifa, and much more.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Characters:**

**Cloud**

**Auron**

**Zell**

**Selphie**

**Squall**

**--------**

"**Aeris. Are you here?" The spirits of the Farplane were circling the hopeful Cloud as he called for his lost love.**

"**She isn't here. Many souls never reach the Farplane. Not since the end of Sin."**

**Cloud turned in surprise of the voice. The man was wearing a red coat and had a slinged/wrapped left arm. He carried a large broadsword almost the size of Cloud's.**

"**I'm sorry. I don't know where I am. I've been traveling to different worlds searching for someone I lost."**

"**Hmmm…What's your name young man?"**

**Cloud grinned. "Cloud. Cloud Strife. Who might you be?"**

**The dark man drew his sword. "My name is Auron," he replied. "Now draw your sword. I want to test your ability." Auron assumed his battle stance.**

**Cloud's face became serious as he drew his sword. _He can't be as hard as Sephiroth_, he thought. "Get ready!" he shouted as he assumed his own battle stance, and he charged.**

**Auron met him halfway and they engaged in an epic clash of swords, handled by the most skillful sword masters in existence.The blades were moving so fast that only the afterimage was available to the normal eye, like a majestic moving painting.**

**Suddenly, the swords stopped flashing and the fighting ceased, both of the men sheathing their swords. Dead silence followed, for even the Song of the Fayth paused to admire the magnificent battle. The warriors never broke eye contact, for the respect they acquired for one another radiated throughout the room.**

**Auron grinned. "Hmmm…very impressive. I admire your abilities, young Cloud Strife." He turned to exit the Farplane. "If you want to find her, come with me. I have much to teach you before you dive into the Unknown."**

**--------------------**

"**Hell Yeah! We made it!" shouted the hyper Zell, jumping with joy. "Isn't it beautiful, Selphie?"**

"**Wow!" exclaimed the breath taken Selphie, never visiting Spira prior to this. "So these are the Calm Lands, right? It's amazing!"**

**Zell laughed. "Just wait until we reach Macalania Forrest. Now THAT is a trully breathtaking site. But first I have to see Uncle Rin."**

**Squall sighed. "How much longer 'til Zanarkand?"**

"**Not long," replied Zell. "Not long at all."**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Characters:

Cloud

Auron

Amaterasu

Issun

Squall

Selphie

Zell

Rin

Rikku

Paine

Yuna

Brother

Buddy

Shinra

* * *

"Cloud!" came a familiar voice. "Hey! Cloud!"

Cloud was clueless as to where he was. It was pure white except for the endless field of flowers in which he stoop. He searched around for the source of the voice. "Zack! Where are you?" he called out.

"Behind you. You're blind as a bat."

Cloud whipped around to see his old friend Zack bearing a wide smile, for he had not seen him for many years. It puzzled him though, to see his best friend again since Zack had been dead for a long time.

"Surprised to see me, eh?" laughed Zack.

"Yeah," said Cloud as he was examining the surroundings. "Zack, where the hell am I? Are you even real?"

Zack laughed. "I'm standing here, aren't I? And so are you. Therefore I must be real."

Cloud wasn't convinced. "If you are real, what was the name of the sword you gave me?"

"Why does it matter, Cloud? Come with me."

"You didn't answer my question," said Cloud, this time in an assertive manner. "Answer them!"

Zack grew nervous. "What's the matter with you, Cloud?" he asked, trembling. "You've never acted like this."

Within the duration of the sound of an unsheathing sword, Cloud drove his sword through the heart of his supposed friend, eyes of a wolf replacing his normal, serene whites. "You are no friend of mine, savage demon. You are not Zack!"

He pulled his sword from the demon's heart, its true self revealing as it fell into its pool of black blood. It scared Cloud, the thought of it possibly trully being Zack.

As he began to wander the endless fields, the flowers withered, and all that was left were the bones of fallen demons.

* * *

Cloud awoke within a cave lit only by a small fire. A wolf hovered above him, whimpering with worry as though she had seen Cloud's dream.

"Finally awake," came the voice of Auron. "Cloud, meet Amaterasu. Ammy for short."

The white wolf yawned and nuzzled Cloud as he lifted up his upper body. She seemed so friendly that Cloud was not alarmed.

Auron tossed a piece of meat to Cloud and one to Amaterasu. "Here. It's fenrir meat."

Amaterasu gobbled the meat with joy, but Cloud questioned it. "How does it taste?" he asked picking up the piece of fenrir meat.

A grin crept upon Auron's face. "Just take my word for it. Try it."

Cloud took a bite. "Not half bad."

"Hey! What about me?" Amaterasu barked and a tiny, green, flea-like creature appeared on her head. "Don't forget the mighty Issun!"

"A talking flea?!" shouted Cloud with surprise.

"I'm not a flea, damnit!" rebuked Issun. "I'm a renowned artist."

"Ummm…" began Cloud, still puzzled, "you still look like a flea."

Steam shot from Issun's head. "I'M NOT A GODDAMN FLEA!"

Auron tossed him a bit of meat. "Sorry Issun."

Cloud scanned the cave. "Where are we again?"

"The Cave of Lost Dreams, one of Spira's finest treasures." Auron stood up. "Beyond here lies a dark abyss, full of trials and labyrinths. Beyond those, however, lies any man's strongest desire."

"So you are saying," began Cloud, "that if I can make it through there, I can find Aeris?"

Auron nodded. "Ammy and Issun will be going with you, but you cannot trust anything else in the abyss."

Cloud looked over to Issun on Amaterasu's head. "What's the flea supposed to do?" he asked Auron.

Steam shot from Issun's head once more. "I'll show you!" he challenged. "Celestial Slash!"

Cloud drew his sword just in time to block what felt like a powerful sword slash, which threw him back. "What the hell was that?!" he asked, confused.

Issun was holding a paintbrush in his hand. "That was the power of the Celestial Brush that Ammy and I use. So don't call me weak!" he exclaimed, stomping his foot on Amaterasu's head, which irritated her.

She shook her head which caused Issun to fall off.

Standing up, he shouted at Amaterasu. "What was that for furball?!"

Cloud and Auron burst with laughter, and even Amaterasu herself seemed to be quietly laughing as well.

* * *

"Wow! This is awesome!" exclaimed Selphie gazing out of the Airship's control deck.

"I told you Rin could hook us up!" replied Zell. He was standing next to Brother, who was trying to explain to him how the controls of the Airship work, barely making out the words of his strong Al Bhed accent.

The sliding doors opened and in came Rin accompanied by Rikku, who was having a massive giggle fit. "Are you enjoying yourselves, my friends?" he asked.

"Of course they are!" interjected Rikku. "Who doesn't have fun on the Airship?"

Zell couldn't keep his eyes off of Rikku, entranced by her. Nothing distracted him; he was in his own world with her.

"Who's that?" asked Rikku pointing out Zell to Rin.

Rin smiled. "That is my nephew, Zell. He's a graduate from Balamb Garden and a high ranking SeeD Officer," he said with pride. "He's quite the fighter as well. Top of the league."

"You didn't tell me you had a nephew!"

"I didn't think it was really important."

"WHAT?!" cried Zell. "I'M NOT IMPORTANT?!"

* * *

"So…explain to me how a gunblade works," asked Paine as she drank with Squall in the bar. Barkeep, a Hypello, was washing glasses in the back as the two talked.

Squall sighed as he relaxed on his barstool. "Nothing really to it. It's just a sword and a gun put together," he said calmly.

"Well there must be something great about it."

"Not really."

"Well your no fun."

"Why so many questions?"

Paine looked away. "I don't know," she began, "but you interest me."

* * *

"Yuna, I love you." She was safely in his arms, surrounded by endless water.

"I know you do," she replied. "I love you too."

"I want you to come find me, Yuna," said the other voice, whose face she could not see. But his voice, oh how she knew that voice.

Her eyes were closed. "I will, my love. I promise."

* * *

Brother's voice came over the intercom. "We are approaching Luca! Prepare to get off!"

"Disembark, Brother, not 'get off'," corrected Buddy, also on the intercom.

"Crid ib (Shut up)! So Ahkmecr ec pyt (My English is bad)!" he exclaimed loudly, which woke Yuna from her deep sleep.

She stretched and got up from the bed, noticing Paine with a strange man sitting at the bar. "What's going on?" she called out.

Paine looked up at her. "We're almost to Luca. And Brother can't speak English."

"I HEARD THAT!" came the angry voice of Brother over the intercom again, forcing Yuna to burst with laughter.

* * *

"Fana ra'na (We're here)!" shouted Brother.

Selphie and Zell gasped almost simultaneously as they gazed out over the magnificent city of Luca. They could see people by the thousands below, flocking into the Blitzball arena to witness the Besaid Aurochs take on the Al Bhed Psyches for the Championship.

"Go Psyches!" exclaimed Brother as he landed the Airship.

"Sorry, Brother," said Buddy, "but I think the Aurochs have this one."

"Why do you say that?" asked Rikku.

"Two reasons. First, Wakka is back as lead scorer." Buddy stood up from his control seat. "And second," he continued, "I heard that Keepa's stats have almost tripled on this year's evaluations compared to last year's."

"Shinra could probably predict the outcome," interjected Brother.

"I can't really say," said Shinra, who was typing a few statistics into the computer. "The statistics are very well matched. Aurochs have just a slight edge, but this is anyone's game."

"So who is most likely gonna win?" asked Zell.

"I can't say."

Everyone headed to the exit, ready for an awesome match about to unravel.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cloud

Auron

Amaterasu

Issun

Zell

Brother

Yuna

Rikku

Rin

Paine

Squall

Selphie

Tifa

* * *

"You shouldn't leave."

"I have to. I need to find her."

"What you need to do is be here for your daughter."

"…I can't."

"WHY NOT?! SHE'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO!"

"I can't be a good father…until I fill the empty hole within my soul."

"…You want to see her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"…What about me? Don't you love me?"

"…It's hard to explain what I feel right now, but it doesn't mean that I don't love you."

**SLAP** "YOU'RE A HEARTLESS BASTARD!"

"…I'm sorry…I'll be back…tell Evangeline, Daddy will be home soon…"

"Why would you even come back after finding what you want."

* * *

"Grab your sword. We're leaving." Auron was already leaving the campsite when Cloud awoke. "You have something to do before you can venture further."

Cloud shuffled to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"

"First to Kilika," Auron began, "then to the Underwater Ruins. I need to pay a visit first to Nooj before we venture."

"Great," said Cloud, yawning. "Just what I needed. Another field trip."

"You'll thank me later for this. Trust me."

* * *

"Premium seats?!" asked Zell, bewildered.

"Uv luinca! (Of course!) Lady Yuna can get almost anything for us," said Brother, following the others entering the arena.

Zell dropped to his knees before Yuna almost in tears. "Thank you so much, Yuna," he said. "How could I ever repay you?"

"No worries," said Yuna, smiling don at him. "My treat."

"Get up you big baby!" shouted Rikku, landing a direct kick to his ribs.

Zell writhed in pain, but when Rikku grabbed his hand he immediately leaped up fully recovered. "How much time do we have left before the game?"

"Ummm…about an hour?" replied Rikku.

"Let's go then!"

And with that they skipped off to who knows where.

"Aaah…" Rin sighed. "Young love."

"Yeah…"said Yuna, a sullen expression signaling a sudden wave of depression in her. "Young love…"

* * *

"Hey," said Paine walking next to Squall, both wandering outside of the arena. "You up for a drink?"

"Shouldn't we be heading to where the others are?" asked Squall.

"We still have time. Some red wine would be nice right about now."

"Are you hinting that I'm buying?"

Paine entered the bar first. "I never said that."

* * *

"Squall!" came Selphie's voice as he was entering the bar. "Look what I bought!"

Squall eyed the model Selphie was holding in her hand. "Why did you buy a model train?"

"Because," she began, "it's the exact same train when we went on our first mission with-"

Before she even finished, Squall marched off into the bar, tears nearly in his eyes. _I miss her. I'd really do anything just to hold her once more in my arms._ He sat next to Paine and hid his face in his arms, not allowing anyone to see the few tears sliding slowly down his cheeks. _There has to be a way to bring her back._

* * *

_Aeris. I miss you_.

"Oi! How much longer til Kilika?" Issun broke Cloud's train of thought.

"Umm…" Cloud rose from his bed on the ship's balcony. "Not too sure, actually. Ask –"

"Two hours. We'll be there by daybreak."

"See, Issun. Auron answered your question."

Amaterasu stared up at Auron asking for food.

"Here you go." He threw her a piece of Fenrir jerky. "This stuff preserves good. That's why I have so much."

"Well don't hog all of it!" Issun jumped on Auron's shoulder. "We're hungry too!"

Cloud adjusted himself. "He has you there, Auron."

Auron pulled a large bag full of Fenrir jerky from his coat. "I'm not as greedy as you think I am."

"Holy Shit! That's a crazy amount of jerky to be carrying around all the time!"

"Calm down, Issun. This is what I do when you're all asleep." Auron gazed to the open sea. "We'll be arriving soon. Get more rest. You'll need it."


End file.
